A structured approach to inherent she in process and product development

The potential benefits of adopting Inherent SHE principles in process design have been recognised since the 1970s, following the pioneering work of Trevor Kletz and others. However, it has not proved so easy to realise these benefits in actual process design. Some reasons which have been put forward to account for this include cultural issues associated with the multidisciplinary nature of process development, and the lack of formal tools to support Inherent SHE ranking of process alternatives. This paper contains an introduction to a methodology which has been developed to facilitate the application of Inherent SHE principles throughout the design cycle, from initial identification of the need the develop a product, to equipment selection and preparation of a "base case" Process Flow Diagram.